Monday, August 18. 2008
8/18/08
Like most people, you probably want to keep your body parts for as long as
possible. Innovative hip and knee surgery at San Joaquin Community Hospital (SJCH)
can help you do just that. It's called resurfacing, and it's life-changing.
Bakersfield, CA (eMediaWorld) August 18, 2008 -- Like most people, you probably
want to keep your body parts for as long as possible. After all, God gave them
to you for a reason. Innovative hip and knee surgery at San Joaquin Community
Hospital (SJCH) can help you do just that. It's called resurfacing, and it's
life-changing.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were 383,500
hip replacements and 550,800 knee replacements in the United States in 2005, and
the numbers are rising. You don't have to be one of them.
Birmingham Hip Resurfacing
Gary Shepard, a 56-year-old from Bakersfield, has been athletic most of his
life. It took its toll. He's been in pain for countless years, limping and
walking at a 45 degree slant. He couldn't even cross his legs, so in 2007 he had
Birmingham Hip Resurfacing (BHR™).
"The change is dramatic. It feels like my own hips. I walk straight, I've grown
two inches, and even my knees don't swell anymore. People can't believe it when
they see me---I feel fantastic," says Shepard.
Your hip is a ball-and-socket joint that unites two separate bones---femur
(thighbone) and pelvis. The femoral head is a ball that fits into the pelvis
socket. In the standard total hip replacement (THR), ball and socket are
completely removed and replaced. The femoral shaft (thighbone's long part) is
hollowed out and a spike, which holds the ball, is pressed into the bone. The
spike can loosen and cause bone wear.
It's completely different with resurfacing. The femoral shaft is never
disturbed---there is no spike. A minimal amount of the ball is shaved and then
fitted snuggly with a smooth metal cap. The socket is shaped to fit a polished
metal cup that the bone naturally takes on as its own.
Resurfacing preserves bone, improves range of motion, and gives you freedom to
have a highly active, normal life. And that's a great thing.
Resurfacing was available years ago; it didn't last long. Technology and metal
implants were far less sophisticated than today. Patients can now expect
superior results with new medically-advanced implants.
In 2007, BHR™ celebrated its 10th anniversary. It has been used in 26 countries
with a worldwide success rate of 97.2 percent. The FDA approved its use in the
United States in 2006.
"With BHR™, I remove a lot less bone than in hip replacement. Oftentimes it's
only 10 percent of the femoral head," says Tom Ferro, MD, FAAOS, orthopedic
surgeon. "Patients experience less pain and report that it feels like their own
hip. Resurfacing patients appear to feel normal very quickly, frequently by the
second day after surgery.
"Another huge advantage to preserving bone is that you have more to work with
later if your hips are injured."
It's just a fact of life: once bone is removed, you can't put it back.
Ferro, the leader in BHR™, is one of approximately 50 surgeons nationwide who
perform this procedure. It requires considerable expertise in resurfacing.
Although his clinic, the Bone & Joint Center, is located in Arroyo Grande and
San Luis Obispo, Ferro also performs BHR™ in Bakersfield but only at SJCH.
"The hospital is extremely receptive to state-of-the-art procedures, and they
have the patient's best interests at heart. It's important that patients have
the finest technology used by the best people and in a highly efficient
system---that's San Joaquin," says Ferro.
This procedure is recommended for active people under 66 years of age with good
bone quality. There are some exceptions. Always talk to a physician to identify
your best options.
"After seeing the huge change in me, friends and relatives are considering this
for themselves. My wife spent a lot of time researching BHR™. I highly recommend
it, and you can't do much better than Dr. Ferro," says Shepard.
Monday, August 11. 2008
Link
http://www.star-telegram.com/376/story/822867.html
By RICKY TREON
Calf roping is no longer a young man's sport for Jeff Copenhaver.
It was, back when he was 9 and dreamed of being a world champion. Back when he
went to his first national finals 13 years later, and when he competed in that
prestigious event for the last time at 29.
But now, at 59 years young, Copenhaver has decided to return to calf roping
competition, something he thought he'd given up long ago.
Copenhaver, who runs the Cowboy Church at Billy Bob's in Fort Worth and also
works with kids, did win that world championship in 1975 and he continued to be
one of calf roping's premier competitors and teachers for two more decades.
It seemed age had finally caught up with Copenhaver in 1995, when it became too
painful to mount a horse. And at the time, not being able to practice calf
roping in any capacity was something he could deal with.
"I really didn't think I had any more desire to do it," he said of the skill
that he'd nearly perfected throughout his life. "I was just minding my own
business in 2006. And then, bam, the desire came back."
Copenhaver said that desire was subtle at first. But in October 2006, he
scheduled a double-hip resurfacing, a new procedure that allows less bone
removal and more mobility than a total hip replacement. The hope was to
eliminate the pain and regain the abilities he thought he'd lost forever.
Turns out he had to wait until the following August to finally have his surgery
done by Dr. Theodore Crofford at Fort Worth's Texas Hip and Knee Center.
It was tough, waiting all that time, he said.
Copenhaver hasn't had any complications after the surgery last Aug. 27 and said
he's feeling better physically than he did at age 36 when he'd last sat in a
saddle.
"They know so much more about the body and how it works nowadays," Copenhaver
said. "I'm just way more fit."
So fit that he wants to start competing again. Though it sounds like a pipe
dream, Copenhaver is doing everything he can to make sure he doesn't end this
comeback disappointed or hurt.
Riding a horse and roping a calf is hardly like riding a bike.
"It's going to take a certain length of time to get riding again with an edge,"
he said. "The hip is just now, at 11 1/2 months, starting to feel strong
again"...
Tuesday, July 15. 2008
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20080715/news_1c15alivem.html
July 15, 2008 SAN
DIEGO ALIVE
With more people in their 40s and early 50s being
sidelined by severe osteoarthritis, a new technology – hip resurfacing as an
alternative to hip replacement – is giving baby boomers a chance to stay active
longer.
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Robyn Benincasa, a runner and San Diego
firefighter, had a new hip resurfacing procedure.
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The Birmingham Hip Resurfacing system takes only the
cartilage off the outer part of the ball and socket joint, and installs a
cobalt-chromium steel cap and cup that slides more smoothly than hip
replacements, lasts longer and has less potential for leg-length
discrepancy. Widely used in the U.K. since 1997, the BHR system was approved
for use in the U.S. in May 2006.
This week, San Diego Alive, the Union-Tribune's
video health feature, spotlights local adventure racer and San Diego
firefighter Robyn Benincasa, who, under the care of La Jolla orthopedic
surgeon Dr. Michael Kimball, had the procedure. Five months after Kimball
resurfaced Benincasa's troublesome hip, she ran across Vietnam.
Friday, May 23. 2008
Dr.
Bob Arnot's Bilateral BHRs with Dr. Su
Read Dr. Bob's Complete Story by Clicking Here
As a television medical
correspondent for decades on shows like Today,
Dateline and the CBS evening News and author of 12
books on consumer medicine, I have to admit it. I
have never faced a more vexing decision than
choosing between a total hip replacement and hip
resurfacing. The claims and data appeared wildly
contradictory and each surgeon’s take was miles
apart from the others...
...I called great friends in
orthopedics at the leading Harvard hospitals and in
NY, Baltimore and Los Angeles. The word I got was
emphatic. Don’t do the hip resurfacing, it’s a
failed concept. It failed in the 70s and its doomed
to fail again...
...I began reading the entire world
literature. I called doctors in France, England,
Belgium, Germany. The more I read, the less I seemed
to know...
...Then I came upon
Surface Hippy Website and read everything on it...
...I went back over my notes, reread
the literature and it suddenly became incredibly
clear. What did I really want?
...The decision ended up being a no
brainer. Hip resurfacing with two BHRs .
READ MORE
Wednesday, March 26. 2008
Link
http://03530.com/2008/03/25/horse-stopped-from-visiting-patient-at-hospital-bedside.html
Wilcox Hospital has around 70 beds, includes an intensive care section and offers treatments for cardiac and a range of other conditions. It is part of Hawaiian Pacific Health.
Two Kaua’i patients who had not seen each other for 25 years were recently reunited at the hospital. Payton Hough and Jeff Habig were the first to receive the new Birmingham hip resurfacing procedure at the hospital, performed by orthopedic surgeon David Rovinsky.
Tuesday, March 25. 2008
Permalink
Here's a nice story, if it happens: Lightning coach John Tortorella has given
captain Tim Taylor the option of playing in
the team's final game of the season April 5
at Atlanta. It would be a way for the center
to finish his 13-year career as a player
instead of on the sideline, where he has
been since Sept. 7 hip surgery. "He deserves that type of respect,''
Tortorella said. "He's been a loyal guy to
the organization and has done a lot of
things on and off the ice people don't even
know about, so he deserves that right.'' The surgery is called hip resurfacing and
corrected his painful, right-hip dysplasia
by shaving and smoothing the head of the
femur, topping it with a chrome alloy cap
and fitting it into the hip socket that also
was coated. Taylor, 39, said he is "ecstatic'' at the
results. He has skated since mid February
but has practiced fewer than 10 times.
Saturday, March 22. 2008
Dave Grigg Ten Year Anniversary
L C+ 3/24/1998 R C+ 2/12/2004 Dr. Amstutz
I'm saying hello on the eve of my ten year anniversary. In early 1998 there were fewer than 40 resurfacings in the
U.S. and of course no surfacehippy group or knowledge base. My thanks to Keith and all you posters.
My story
A former runner, I had been crippled with OA for a decade and needed crutches just to stand more than 2
minutes. Dr. Amstutz said he'd only seen one or two more diseased hips in his career. I
placed a lot of trust in him and it sure paid off. I was riding the life cycle 5 days post-op and skydiving 7 weeks
post-op (not doctor approved). My other hip was resurfaced by the good doctor early in 2004.
I moved to the Palm Springs area 19 months ago and took up competitive tennis, both singles and doubles and
have won a couple of local tournaments.
Other than airport security delays, I couldn't be happier.
Dave C+, Dr. Amstutz, L 3/24/1998, R 2/12/2004
Wednesday, March 19. 2008
Farmer has hip op in India
Link To Original Story
LAURA DEVLIN
18 March 2008
Stuart Agnew - operation in India
Farmer Stuart Agnew knew that major surgery was on the cards as his hip
became increasingly more painful during a busy lambing season.
But for the 58-year-old, being at the mercy of NHS waiting lists was a daunting
thought as he tried to negotiate his way through a hectic farming calendar.
Eventually, the pain became so intense that he felt forced to take action and
sought out private treatment halfway across the world in India.
Yet there was an unexpected bonus awaiting him when he discovered he could not
only have the surgery at a time to fit in with the day-to-day business of
running the farm, but save himself £5,000 in the process.
Mr Agnew, who represents the county on the NFU's national council, became so
frustrated at struggling around his farm at Helhoughton, near Fakenham, that he
searched the internet for an overseas surgeon and braved a nine-hour flight to
Bombay.
Continue reading "Farmer has Hip Op in India"
Monday, February 25. 2008
Patients hip to new surgical technique
Link
http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/beaconnews/business/807983,2_3_AU24_CASTLE_S1.article
February 24, 2008
By ROWENA VERGARA rvergara@scn1.com
AURORA -- It's a breakthrough that has rocked Europe for the last 10 years.
Internet bloggers can't stop buzzing about it. And every year, Americans are
going overseas just to get it -- until now.
It's not some cosmetic procedure or the latest fad diet program. But the
Birmingham Hip Resurfacing System, approved by the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration in 2006, has gained the attention of baby boomers and active
seniors who have the aches and pains (likely from arthritis), but don't want to
commit to a total hip replacement.
One of the select facilities across the United States doing the procedure is
Castle Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine in Aurora. Dr. Mark Shinsky of Castle
Orthopaedics, who joined the practice in September, is one of the only surgeons
in the Fox Valley trained to implant the Birmingham hip.
Made of cobalt chrome, the implant includes a metal cap anchored by a pin that
locks into the femoral neck. A metal socket then hooks into the pelvis bone.
Only a few centimeters of bone around the ball are shaved to fit tightly inside
the hip implant.
In comparison, a total hip replacement requires the loss of the femoral head, or
ball, which is replaced by a metal ball. That is then attached to a metal stem
that goes into the shaft of the femur. The socket is replaced with metal and
plastic components.
The Birmingham hip is recommended for people younger than 65 who are active and
want to return to a mobile lifestyle, Shinsky says. A hip replacement, in
comparison, is usually meant for patients in their late 60s and early 70s who
live a sedentary lifestyle.
Although it gained FDA approval two years ago, the procedure has been done more
than 60,000 times around the world since 1997.
"Patients like it a lot, and they do extremely well after this surgery and
bounce back well," Shinsky said.
Jack Giesenschlag, 49, of Oswego, had the procedure done by Shinsky at
Rush-Copley Medical Center in October. Five weeks after the surgery, he went
back to work, and traveled for business appointments within seven weeks.
He plans to get back into bowling, something he hasn't been able to do for six
years because of a deformed left hip. Giesenschlag acquired Leg Perthese
disease, a children's syndrome in which circulation to the femoral head is
blocked.
"It was hurting me on an everyday basis. I used to be a collegiate bowler, and I
gave up golf last year because I couldn't tolerate the pain of it," he said. "I
would have to say it was almost pain free going through the entire process."
The Birmingham's cobalt chrome components make it more durable than a total hip
implant. Traditionally, only the ball in a hip replacement is made from cobalt
chrome and the socket is lined with a plastic cup, which could wear out over
time, according to the Birmingham Hip Resurfacing Web site.
The dislocation rate is also virtually nonexistent. Dislocation is the leading
cause of implant failure in a total hip replacement, according to the site.
Still, total hip replacements are performed 300,000 times a year in the U.S.
Recovery time after the two-hour procedure is also impressive. Shinsky says
patients can go back to skiing, swimming, playing tennis or running hopefully
within a year.
The Birmingham hip is not the only device available to patients wanting a
resurfacing procedure, so it is recommended that patients research their
alternatives, and speak with a physician.
Tuesday, February 19. 2008
February 16, 2008
This was taken the other day skiing at Durango Mountain
Resort...We had gotten over 22" inches of snow. The skiing this year has
been nothing short of "epic." I am able to ski all the runs I used to ski
before my hip began to really hurt about 6 years ago. I had my hip
resurfaced by Dr. Gross on 9/6/06. I waited the full year before skiing
again. It was my decision to do that. I now ski at least 3 times a week and
everything feels as normal as before my hip ever started hurting. I just
don't pound the bumps anymore. Not because of the hip, but because after 30
years of skiing I want to save my knees! Life is good with the new hip...Thanx
for creating this site Pat.....
Shelly Perlmutter
Continue reading "Shelly Perlmutter Hip Resurfacing Story with Dr. Gross"
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